MUNICIPALIKA 2017
Navi Mumbai, May 30, 2017: The 14th edition of Municipalika, three-day exhibition and conference on Smart and Sustainable Cities, organised at CIDCO Exhibition Centre, Navi Mumbai, from 18th to 20th May, ended on a high note, providing valuable insights and solutions for urban infrastructure and housing development in India.
The thrust areas have been to evolve smart and sustainable city solutions for water, waste water, solid waste management, transportation, energy, safety, security, housing and e-governance.
The three-day exhibition and conference received encouragement and support from M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information and Broadcasting, Government of India; Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra and Prakash Mehta, Minister of Housing, Government Maharashtra.
A packed Inaugural Programme was graced by Maya Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Government of Madhya Pradesh; R Roshan Baig, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Haj, Government of Karnataka; Durga Shanker Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India; H. E. Nadir Patel, High Commissioner of Canada in India; Koh Lin Ji,Group Director, International Development Group Building and Construction Authority, Singapore; Pawan Arora, Director of Local Bodies and Joint Secretary, Government of Rajasthan; Sudhakar Sambhaji Sonawane, Mayor, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation; V. Suresh, Advisor, Good Governance India Foundation, Former CMD, HUDCO and Sanjiv Agarwal, Founder Chairman, Good Governance India Foundation, Editor & Publisher, Urban News Digest.
Speaking during the inaugural session, Maya Singh, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Housing, Madhya Pradesh, said, “I believe a Smart City is a Green City. The Swachh Bharat initiative by the Government of Madhya Pradesh has been very supporting and has been able to come up with new policies. There are many new programmes that are being initiated in Indore, Bhopal and Jabalpur including waste to energy initiatives, Swachh Bharat Mission and river rejuvenation works. Amidst these key developments, we believe Municipalika is a good platform to showcase, network and strengthen our vision towards smart cities and sustainable cities.”
R Roshan Baig, Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development and Haj, Government of Karnataka, said, “A city can only become a smart city when it has fulfilled certain conditions which can only be achieved by spreading awareness and changing the way people think. It is only when we deal with issues like slums and open defecation can we truly call a city, a smart city. Land being a scarce resource, new satellite town planning on available land like earlier KGF is one proposal Government of Karnataka is contemplating. Therefore, I would like to complement the organisers of Municipalika 2017 for organising this wonderful exhibition and conference, showcasing the latest developments in the urban planning sector.”
Durga Shanker Mishra, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, said, “The reason for the existence of Smart Cities is to improve the living standard of the people by using smart initiatives. There are four major pillars necessary for the development of a city which are Institutional or Governance, Social, Economic as well as Physical and it is imperative that we focus on all of them. The major initiatives taken by Government of India for the 100 Smart Cities, 500 AMRUT Cities, Swachh Bharat Mission, Housing for all under PMAY and HRIDAY has given a major fillip to urban transformation for fast growing Indian cities. I must congratulate the organising team of Municipalika 2017 for organising such a comprehensive conference and exhibition. I am sure this will contribute in creating massive awareness in changing the landscape of urban development in India.”
H. E. Nadir Patel, High Commissioner of Canada in India, said, “This is a very special exhibition and conference that brings together all stakeholders in the urban sector with an array of solutions to many challenges and problems. This year a
Koh Lin Ji, Group Director, International Development Group Building and Construction Authority, Singapore, said, “Smart and Sustainable Cities 2017 is a well thought up theme as smart cities do not function independently without sustainable environment. I applaud the organising team of Municipalika 2017 for setting such an appropriate theme as India is undergoing rapid urbanisation. I believe Municipalika is an exceptional platform to spread awareness regarding the smart city initiatives. I would also like to thank the organising team of Municipalika for giving me the opportunity to address such a vast audience and wish them all the very best.”
Pawan Arora, Director of Local Bodies and Joint Secretary, Local Self Government, Government of Rajasthan, said, “Rajasthan has an image of a desert state and tourism state. However, now it is slowly transforming into a more developed state that is being recognised for its urban innovations not just in the country but also internationally. While cities may have major problems, we should turn those challenges into opportunities and take it forward in a large way. Hence, initiatives like Municipalika have provided a great platform to meet stakeholders from different facets of urban development, building upon the last Municipalika of Jaipur and the state level Municipalika event at Udaipur.”
Sudhakar Sambhaji Sonawane, Mayor, Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, said, “As host city we are proud to have Municipalika event in Navi Mumbai which has been developed as a well planned satellite town. Our cities should be provided with newer technologies for more balanced development and growth of the city. Municipalika is the right platform to bring over 170 exhibitors together through which we get to know about the latest technologies. However, we need to also look into the development needs of the neighbouring fringe rural areas besides investing in big citiesand making the connectivity better.”
V. Suresh, Advisor, Good Governance India Foundation, former CMD, HUDCO, said, “Municipalika 2017 is one of the unique events where all concerned city development and management agencies are meeting with over a thousand delegates from 300 cities, representing the ministers, mayors, municipal commissioners, city planners, architects, engineers and service providers to discuss the issues and challenges faced by the citizens. The event is organised with 15 conference sessions, covering all the facets of the urban development sector and has highlighted solutions for the various problems faced in cities and provides an opportunity to absorb and assimilate the best practices for the way forward for smart and sustainable cities.”
Sanjiv Agarwal, Founder Chairman, Good Governance India Foundation, Editor & Publisher, Urban News Digest, said, “It has been a great pleasure to host the 14thedition of Municipalika in Navi Mumbai. I want to extend my special thanks to our gracious host state Maharashtra and Government of India for supporting this exhibition and conference. Also I would thank to our Partner Countries, Canada and Singapore, for their presence in the show and for spreading their knowledge with the urban stakeholders of India. The exhibition along with in-depth Conference Sessions andtechnical sessions provide the right platform. I believe the interaction here would definitely play a major role in changing the urban landscape of India.”
Canada and Singapore as Partner Countries brought forth their rich global experience of decades through the exhibition display and conference sessions in creating sustainable and vibrant smart cities with the best practices in planning, design, execution and good governance of cities.
The conference enabled participation of over 1,600 delegates from 300 cities in India and abroad. The Government of Maharashtra was the host state for the exhibition and conference which was also supported by the Government of India along with its ministries of Urban Development, New and Renewable Energy, Electronics and Information Technology, Home Affairs Office of the Fire Adviser and Steel.
The co-located CAPEx (Construction, Architecture, and Planning & Engineering Expo) segment captured the leading building materials, technologies and construction equipment for structural, non-structural, finishing, building and plumbing services. Green building products which are environment-friendly and energy saving found a significant presence in the CAPEx segment.
The Municipalika exhibition and conference 2017 is one of the biggest events in the country on city solutions, with over 170 exhibitors showcasing technologies, equipment, products, software and solutions for Smart and Sustainable Cities, covering all facets of urban infrastructure development and housing and building construction activities. Over 5,000 delegates and visitors could benefit from the useful displays in the exhibition.
Besides the presence of a large number of senior government officials, urban local bodies, urban parastatals, utilities etc. which have been the USP of Municipalika, there was also a strong participation from private sector stakeholders like real estate developers and builders, system integrators, consultants, EPC contractors, urban infrastructure providers and professionals like architects, engineers, and urban planners and environmental specialists who attended Municipalika and CAPEx segments.
About Municipalika:
For the past 13 years Municipalika, the International Exhibition and Conference has been instrumental in highlighting pertinent issues revolving around the challenges and opportunities faced by the fast growing cities, through sharing of best and leading practices, evolving technological and managerial solutions, and providing inputs for policy interventions.
The three day exhibition and conference is attended by ministers, secretaries, mayors, municipal commissioners, senior urban development officials from the Central and State Governments, urban local bodies and housing agencies, infrastructure professionals from all over India, built environment professionals, architects, planners and engineers to deliberate and resolve the question: ‘How do we plan, design, build and maintain sustainable built environment and smart cities?’ The 14th Municipalika and CAPEx event definitely paved the way with right solutions for the way forward for Indian cities to be smart and sustainable.